Get Familiar With The Capital Budget
One of the most reliable ways to make Pittsburgh better for biking and walking is to make sure that projects that improve biking and walking are included in the Capital Budget.
A Capital Budget is the way that a city’s mayor prioritizes and funds the things they want to see built. One can think of a Capital Budget as the conscience of a mayor. The things that they think are important are the things that get funded.
It’s our job as neighborhood advocates to help make the case for continuous and expanded funding for safety improvements on our streets. This year, it’s worth celebrating that we are definitely making a good impression that funding complete streets projects is important! Out of all the project ideas received by the Mayor’s Office, the most popular category by far was “Complete Streets” with 221 related requests, followed by 15 for “Step Repair and Replacement”.
Now that the capital budget draft is ready, the best way to advocate for ideas to turn into reality is to get familiar with what’s in the draft for next year’s budget. Then, make sure that the Mayor and your Councilperson hear your support for projects that make our streets safer for people who bike and walk…